A typical stoma appliance comprises a face-plate or wafer adhesively applied to the user's peristomal skin and having an opening or hole at which the stoma is exposed. The wafer includes a ring or flange to which a pouch is detachably connected for receiving ileac waste. Most wafers are provided with a starter hole too small for immediate use but which must be enlarged according to the diameter of the stoma. Enlargement of the hole is usually accomplished by the use of scissors with curved blades. Because of the relatively wide variations in stoma diameters it is not feasible to manufacture and sell wafers according to different stoma diameters. Thus, the "popular" system is for the user to purchase wafers and cut holes according to his particular situation.
A major problem that results from scissor-cutting of the stoma hole is that the hole is usually not only inaccurately sized as to diameter but it frequently has ragged edges which permit leakage between the back face of the wafer and the peristomal skin and ileac waste migrates outwardly from the stoma and causes disintegration of the seal between the wafer and the skin. This of course requires early replacement of the wafer and increases the user's costs and the need for scissor-cutting of a hole in the replacement wafer.
According to the present invention, a low-cost sizing unit is provided in the form of a kit or fixture for sale to ostomates to be used by them for cutting accurate circular holes in stoma wafers by means of a base having a flat top on which the wafer is placed flatwise to be cut at its center by an accurately gaged circular cutter which centers on the center of the wafer and cuts a hole according to the dimension of the user's stoma. It is a feature of the invention that the base includes locator means for accurately positioning the wafer relative to a gage adjustably located with respect to the wafer center. The adjustability of the gage accommodates cutters of different diameters.
The unit components are formed of materials having the characteristics of long-life, low cost and easy maintenance. The cutter is preferably made of two parts, a manually engageable body and a separable cutting element enabling interchangeability of several cutters while retaining the main body, thus further lowering the purchase price of the unit.